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Topic: Anyone build a bandmill debarker? (Read 6902 times)

Wondering if anyone has built a homemade debarker for their bandmill, what did you use for a motor and blade? I know basically what they are like but just wondering if anyone has built one. I can see where one of these would give you a considerably longer blade life.

Hey Buck, I had the same question a short time ago except I'm trying to get mine to work. I received some very helpful pics from some on the forum here and am working towards a redesign based on the WM debarker. Mine is powered with a hydraulic motor though. You should be able to get a 12 volt motor to run one with your mills supply. As far as blades go, mine came with a course tooth dado blade but I think it's the wrong way to go. It's too course and it binds easily. I will be trying to get a WM type blade or use 2 cheap fine tooth blades (6") sandwiched together to make a 1/4" kerf.

The wood carvers have a 4 1/2" dia. blade that can be put onto an angle grinder that has the same chain as on most chainsaws. I was wondering how well that would work... More importantly... how would I manage to set an arrangement up using a blade like that on a circular mill.

A stand alone debarker runs around 30 g's plus the chipper for the other end of the mill. It would take about 60 years for it payoff...

I thought about using one of those carving blades and I think it could work if the gaurding was made to accomodate a smaller blade. It would certainly be easy to sharpen but not sure how it would hold up compared to a carbide tooth sawblade in stones and mud. Also the price of one of these blades at Lee Valley is about $57 compared to a $20 blade.May still be worth a try though.

I was wondering about something on a angle grinder, a coarse carbide blade of some sort,..what about those small blades on those battery operated crosscut saws, they are like 5" or something like that. I am gonna keep thinkin' anyway...should be able to come up with something that will work.

Fla._,Most of the mill MFG. use a blade with a negative hook angle, that way the teeth have a scrapping action and just remove the bark instead of cutting into the wood. Its a must to use carbite in dirty bark.

Mr. Lee built himself a real nice chain of stores New_Sawyer... A little rich for my blood though... I like going through their catalogue to look at all the tools and stuff... Maybe I'll by myself a plane from there for when I retire in 30 years or so... I would imagine that there must be another source for those blades.

How about a 4" milling cutter used on a horizontal milling machine. You can get them in HSS., carbide or better yet with replacable inserts. They come in various width, tooth number and rake angles. They can be bought new form Enco, Grizzly and other machine tool companies. I've seen many at auctions and on ebay going reasonably cheap. I use to have a Van Norman Horizontal-vertical mill and had several for it. Sold them with the mill though. I've been thinking about building a debarker also and wondered how to keep it from getting jammed on limb stubs or cutting into the log itself. How fast do the WM run (RPM) and how big (hp) are they?GC

Hey fellas, Does the bark actually create bladewear or is it more the mud and dirt stuck in it?

I bought a 31cc weedwhacker engine at a yard sale for $8.00 and it works great. Buddy run over the shaft with his truck but the motor is still good. I was thinking that if it had a stiff wire or nylon circular brush mounted on it that it would knock off some of the loose bark and clean up mud and rocks a bit. Maybe even have a stream of water shooting ahead of it??

Just a brainstorm idea, what do you fella's think??

It could be mounted on a hindge like mount so it would sit like it is in the pic to fill with fuel and get started, then flip it up on end to operate. Have throttle cable run back to operator to run it. It might have enough power to turn a small blade of some sort but not sure.

I was just glancing through the new Lee Valley catalog when I was in "the office" earlier today. They now carry a blade to go on an angle grinder that has carbide tips on it...only three, if I remember correctly. Says if you hit something to dull the tooth, you can loosen it and turn it a little bit to expose a sharp cutting edge (much like these new planers with the little carbide teeth instead of blades...'cept these teeth are round). But again, this is made to fit on a 4" angle grinder....I know there's 12v grinders out there somewhere

I use a Karcher 4,000 psi pressure washer. Now, it does not take off the bark before I saw any logs, but it sure cleans. When I debark Maple burl or have a special order for a debarked log, it may take a few minutes or longer but it sure works. I was just looking at a Landa last week. The dealer brought the thing all the way from Portland, 75 miles. It was his demo unit. All kinds of bells and whistels and put out over 5000 psi. Wow! I about jumped at the deal. Only $5,000 from an original of $8,000 plus. I

Buck,That engine looks identical to the one I just purchased new. The whole kit has a variety of accessories you can install from a pole pruner to a snowblower. The trimmer itself came with a brush cutter blade as well as the string trimmer.

My thought is that if you get ahold of a standard blade for a debarker, mount it on the end of the engine (probably will need a short shaft), that you could mount the entire assembly just as you would a standard debarker. You may even be able to get by with a couple standard carbide tipped ripping blades for a skil saw.

You could also try to use one of the 'beaver blades' which is a round disk with chainsaw teeth. However, as this is standard steel on the teeth, I would think you would have to sharpen it about every time you change blades. It may end up being counter productive.

The log Wizzard works OK. Makes nice woodchips for around the yard. Debarking a log is alot of work, some logs its faster to debark with a shovel. I'd like to try an electric chainsaw with mine to cut down on noise.

Buck,Bibbyman had a shop build debarker on one of his mills. If you have the lathe and a mill in your shop, I see know reason that a similar one could not be build to fit any mill. It will add about a 100lbs to your carriage. Bibbyman had pictures of his debarker posted here.